A gas utility pipeline damages skeleton of female
Gas utility pipeline works in 2014 damaged the skull of an Anglo-Saxon female burial in an unusual manner. The skeleton was one of over 100 burials found in a 6th century (AD) cemetery that was discovered during groundworks at a primary school at Oakington.
Domesday Book and Oakington
Oakington is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the name of Hochinton, and had a population of 55 households. ‘Hochinton’ translates as the “estate of a man called Hoc” or literally a “homestead (tun) of Hoc” (a personal name) and his people (inge). The names of other villages in the area were constructed in the same way (Impington, Barrington, Arrington and Ickleton).
What does Oakington and Hochinton have in common as names
It is likely Hoc was an Anglo-Saxon man who arrived sometime in the 5th century AD with his family. The Anglo-Saxons came from the North Sea coast of Europe Netherlands, Denmark and NW Germany and migrated to the British Isles between about 400 and 650 AD. It is estimated the modern population of Eastern England derives almost 40% of its ancestry from these people.
We can imagine Hoc rowing up the River Ouse, with his family and their possessions in their boat, looking for a place to land. He may have landed at what is now Westwick Bridge, near the meeting of the Beck Brook and Oakington Brook. At that time this site would have been on the edge of the fenland. The area would have provided fish and waterfowl for food, pasture for grazing cattle, and waterways for transport.
No remains of original houses were found during archaeological excavation. Evidence for traditional Anglo-Saxon houses which were built in shallow pits and called Grubenhaüser is rare.
Information about: AS Archaeology & Heritage Services
